Love in a Time of Fear
by linlawless
Summary: This Liason fic asks the question "What might happen if Elizabeth decided to stop letting fear rule her life?" Starts in November 2008, before Jake's second kidnapping, which never happened in my world ...
1. Part 1

**Love in a Time of Fear **

_A/N: The conversation that opens this story aired on the show on 11-13-2009, so obviously it's not mine, nor are the characters, except where I may invent original ones. You will be pleased to learn that I have completed a first draft of the whole story, which is 9 chapters long, and I plan to edit and post every few days until it is done (feedback would probably increase my motivation to work faster, hint, hint. hehe). Happy birthday to my gal Andy (leepinlizzards), and thanks to her for providing the prompt, which I shortened to include only those parts that are most related to the story. Enjoy!_

**Prompt: To me, "FEARLESS" is not the absence of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, FEARLESS is having fears. FEARLESS is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, FEARLESS is living in spite of those things that scare you to death... FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again… even though every time you've tried before, you've lost. It's FEARLESS to have faith that someday things will change… I think loving someone despite what people think is FEARLESS… But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in it. You have to believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after... Because I think love is FEARLESS. ~~ Taylor Swift**

**Part 1**

"I – I'm – I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna be able to make it." Jason's voice was apologetic.

Elizabeth didn't even try to keep the hurt and disappointment out of her voice. "But you said you'd be here."

"I – I know– I know, but there's a situation and I can't put you and the kids at risk right now and I just –" Elizabeth hung up without letting him finish the sentence. She just couldn't listen to him say yet again that it was too dangerous for her to be around him. _How many times? _she wondered. _How many more times am I gonna let him do this to me? When am I gonna stop believing him when he promises that we'll be together?_

She thought back over all the years she had known him – all the broken promises and the mistakes and the misunderstandings. So much of it had been her own fault, because she had been afraid – first of her overwhelming feelings for him, and later of the risks associated with his life choices.

Now, she was just tired. Tired of it all – the hopes, the dreams, the crushing disappointments. _How did I get here? _she wondered.

Maybe it all started way back when she was a teenager – on that awful Valentine's Day in the park that had changed who she was. She remembered who she had been before that – impulsive, brash, willing to go after what she wanted, consequences be damned. But she hadn't known just how terrible consequences could be – not until that horrible Valentine's Day.

But no, that couldn't have been it, because she had allowed love to enter her life – sure, it had been puppy love, a first love not meant to last, but that was still love. Wasn't it? It had certainly felt real at the time. She smiled nostalgically as she recalled how optimistic she and Lucky had been – how excited about their shared future – him as a musician, her as an artist. And neither of them had imagined how it could all come crashing down. Sometimes even now she wondered what had happened to those two bright-eyed kids who had expected so much, but she supposed even the most determined idealist sometimes had to take off the rose-colored glasses.

Maybe it had all changed when Lucky "died." She later learned, of course, that it wasn't real – that it was all an illusion created by Helena. For what purpose, she still didn't really know. Nevertheless, that, too, had felt real at the time, and she supposed that, in the end, that was all that mattered. She could never go back to the person she had been back when she was young and in love for the very first time, before tragedy had ripped it all away from her.

But even then, she hadn't let fear completely rule her life. Otherwise, how would she ever have gotten on the back of Jason's motorcycle and seen the wind? How would she ever have pulled him to safety, leaving only his blood in the snow as a reminder of the shots that had nearly killed him, and then nursed him back to health? How would she have lied to everyone she knew to keep him safe until he was strong enough to protect himself again?

Looking back now, she finally found the moment she had been looking for – the moment when fear trumped love in her life. It seemed strange that the happy news that Lucky was alive had, paradoxically, led her down a road of fear and sadness for all the years since then. Strange, but in an odd way, completely understandable with the perspective of hindsight. Losing Lucky had been a nightmare from which she had felt she would never wake up, and she had been terrified to go through it again. She had feared that Jason wouldn't be there again to help her climb out of it, and she had been uncertain of her ability to do it by herself.

And she had wanted desperately to go back to the time before she had ever had to live through such pain. So she had clung to a relationship that had died with Lucky. She hadn't understood that they had both changed too much – that unlike the man, the relationship could never be resurrected, no matter how much she wanted to or how hard they tried.

She could see now that nearly every major decision she had made since then had been ruled by fear – when she slept with Zander, when she moved out of Jason's penthouse, when she married Lucky and Ric, when she gave up art and became a nurse – all of it could be traced back to fear.

Well, except for her children – when she found out she was pregnant the first time and decided to welcome Cameron into her life – that time, she had been ruled by love. _And, _she realized suddenly,_ that was the first thing in a long time that turned out well. _

The second pregnancy hadn't started out well, in the sense that she had been so busy worrying about Jason and Sam, and about Lucky, that she had let her fear of hurting them keep her from telling the truth. Ironically, it was only even greater fear that led her to be honest – first, when Jason was shot again (even if he didn't hear her), and second, when she had thought that she and Jason and their unborn child were about to die.

And where had all that fear gotten her? To a place where she didn't recognize who she had become, one where she was, by her actions, teaching her children that love wasn't worth any risk and that safety was to be maintained at any cost.

But did she believe that? _Safety is an illusion anyway, so why on earth would anyone sacrifice everything that is real in life, everything that matters, in order to maintain an illusion?_

That thought echoed in her head for several long moments, and then Elizabeth Webber nodded briskly once and picked up the phone.


	2. Part 2

_A/N: Y'all have been leaving __**such **__wonderful feedback that I decided to use my insomnia to your advantage and go ahead and edit and post part 2. Shamefully, I forgot last chapter to thank my wonderful and creative friend DericaAtuliel for the gorgeous banner -- I think I could happily stare at it for hours! Enjoy, and please keep that feedback coming! _

**Part 2**

Six months later, Elizabeth took one last walk through her little cabin in the woods, making sure she had everything. Lucky had already come and picked up the boys, and she was just packing up the last of their things before heading back to Port Charles. She had purposely waited to return until it would be too late to change things, no matter who tried to talk her out of it. She was so new to acting in spite of, rather than based on, fear that she didn't want to have to defend her decision to anyone until it could not be undone.

She had acted quickly on that sad day last November, when she had realized that she was letting fear – hers and Jason's – rule her life in a way that was no longer acceptable to her. First, she had called the hospital and arranged for a leave of absence, then she had called Lucky to say she needed time away and that he could visit the kids whenever he wanted. She had stopped by the bank and withdrawn a large chunk of the trust fund that the world thought Emily had left to her and her boys. Finally, she had called Jason to tell him she was going out of town for a while, so that she would be out of harm's way while he dealt with this latest threat, and she had taken her children and gone to spend the winter in the middle of nowhere, New York – otherwise known as the Adirondack Mountains.

It was the perfect place for what she had in mind. She knew no one there, and she had told no one her true purpose in leaving. She had chosen that location because it was close enough for people to visit (without having to spend the night), or for Lucky to pick up the boys for a weekend, but far enough that no one would just drop by without making prior arrangements. And she needed that solitude. It was critical in order for her to accomplish what she needed to while she was there.

She had spent her time in a frenzy of creative activity. She had hired a local college student, Andy, to watch the boys whenever she wasn't in class. Andy had threatened to maim anyone who called her Amanda (her full name), which worked out fine since the boys couldn't say Amanda anyway. The entire family was absolutely crazy about her – in fact, Elizabeth had come to think of her as part of the family, and was thrilled when she persuaded Andy to transfer to PCU in the fall. She would be rejoining them in Port Charles as soon as her finals were finished in a couple of weeks.

Having Andy there had freed Elizabeth to spend most of her time writing, and later, when the writing was mostly done, painting. The writing had been cathartic, and that catharsis had rekindled her passion for art in a most surprising way. She knew that she would never give it up again, not for anything. She planned to cut back her hours at the hospital – depending how things went, she might quit altogether – so that she would always have time for her art.

Satisfied that she had all of their belongings, she glanced around one last time. With a small smile, she picked up her purse and the book lying next to it. She still got a little thrill each time she read the cover: "Love in a Time of Fear: A Memoir" by Elizabeth I. Webber. The advance copy had arrived from her publisher just the day before yesterday. That had been the signal she had been waiting for – the sign that it was time to go home and prepare those she loved for what she had done, so she had acted quickly to move her family back home.

She took one last look around, then closed the door quietly, locking it behind her, and headed for her car.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jason?" The voice he hadn't heard in six months shot through him like a bullet to his heart. He had kept contact to a minimum, not wanting to put her in danger. Just occasional emails on the secure account Spinelli had set up for him, and anonymous envelopes that had arrived periodically in the mail, with pictures of the three people he loved most in the world. He had sometimes wondered who had been _taking_ the pictures, before quickly squelching the spurt of jealousy of the unknown person. If Elizabeth was moving on with her life, with someone who deserved her, he should be happy for her.

He _would _be happy for her.

Still, he couldn't quite squelch the joy and hope that her voice triggered in his mind and heart – or the desire that shot through his body. _Damn_. He was supposed to be getting over that – getting over _her_.

The silence must have dragged on too long, because she said again, "Jason?"

He finally found his voice. "Elizabeth?" It came out raspy, so he cleared his throat before continuing, "Where are you?" He immediately thought, _I shouldn't have asked that,_ and opened his mouth to say _never mind_, but she was already answering.

"I'm back in Port Charles." There was a new confidence in her voice, one that he couldn't remember hearing before. He wondered if she really _had_ found someone else.

"You – you're back?" Once again, a little tendril of joy slid through him. But, "It would have been safer for you to stay where you were. I – I thought you were happy being away."

"We were, Jason, but I never intended to stay away forever. I stayed there for six months, just as I always planned, and now I'm back. And from what I hear, things are quiet right now." He didn't know what to say to that, and after a moment, she continued, sounding both apprehensive and resolute. "Anyway, I need to see you."

"It's not –"

She cut him off. "—safe. Yeah, yeah, I know. I still need to see you, so you can decide where we meet. If you don't, I'll just come to the penthouse and see you there."

"I'm not home right now," Jason replied quickly, almost desperately. He was suddenly sure that if he saw her, all the progress he had made in accepting that he could never be with her would vanish.

"That's okay, I'll wait." Her voice was almost laughing at him, as though she knew what he was thinking. He could almost hear her add, _Come on, don't be such a coward. You can handle it._

"Fine," he sighed. "Meet me at the safehouse in an hour."

She chuckled aloud then, and asked, "You still have that place?"

"Yeah," he answered, but said nothing more, because he didn't want to tell her that he went there whenever he needed to feel close to her, which was usually several times a week. And he couldn't tell her that he often stared for hours at the unfinished painting of him and Jake that she had never taken away. And she _certainly _could never know that he had found a bottle of perfume that she had left there, and sometimes he sprayed a little on the sheets before going to sleep, so that just for a second before he opened his eyes in the morning, he could pretend that she was still there with him.

But then he wondered if he had said all that out loud after all, because she said quietly, "Well, everyone needs a safe place, I guess. I'll see you there." And without giving him a chance to respond, she hung up.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jason paced as he waited for Elizabeth to arrive at the safehouse. She wasn't even late yet, but still he was impatient. As much as he had thought it would be better to stay away, now that seeing her was inevitable, he found that he was jumping out of his skin with anticipation. He _wanted_ to see her, and he wanted to see her _now._

Finally, he heard her car in the driveway. Before she even put it in park, he flung the door open wide and hurried to her. She was still unbuckling her seatbelt as he opened her car door, and he barely gave her time to grab her purse and a wrapped package from the seat next to her before he was crushing her to him. He breathed in the scent of her for a long moment, savoring the feel of her arms around him after such an extended separation. Then he realized that anyone could see them, and he quickly lifted her off her feet, kicked the door shut, and carried her to the house, despite her laughing protests. "Jason! What's gotten into you? I can walk all by myself, you know."

He didn't answer until they were safely inside the house. He set her gently on her feet and pulled back slightly to look at her. She looked, in a word, amazing. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks flushed, and he wondered idly if she had been driving with the window down or if it was because they were in such close proximity.

Finally, he said softly, "I missed you."

Her smile grew misty as she replied, "I missed you, too."

She turned then, pulling away to place her purse and the package carefully on a nearby end table, then taking off the light jacket she wore over her casual t-shirt and jeans. She looked around briefly, then turned her curious gaze back to his. "Everything is the same as the last time we were here together."

"Yeah," he answered, and felt himself blushing a little. "I – I just never got around to changing it."

"Well, I hope you at least cleaned out the refrigerator," she teased gently. "Otherwise, I don't want to be here when you open it up."

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I – I did that about two months after – after you left."

"Oh," she said. "Good." She said nothing more for a moment. Instead, she wandered over to the unfinished canvas she had left. "I should finish this," she murmured, reaching out to lightly run her fingers over the faces she had put there in another lifetime. "Or maybe not … it's not who I am anymore."

His heart sank at her comment. So, she really _had_ moved on, perhaps found someone else, and even though he knew it was for the best, he hated it. He wanted to say, _Come back to me, we'll find a way to make it work. I love you and I need you and I can't do this without you anymore_, but he felt frozen, and his mouth stayed stubbornly closed.

After another long silence, she spoke softly. "There's something I need to tell you."

He braced himself to hear about her new love and her new life, and how she was finally over him and didn't need him anymore. But what came out of her mouth was, "I wasn't sure quite how to tell you this, and I think you're gonna be upset with me, so I decided to write it in a letter and leave you to read it by yourself." She paused, giving him a long look, then added, "Think really hard before you call me, Jason. Whatever you decide, there's no going back this time." He frowned in confusion at her cryptic words, wishing she would just say it and get it over with.

She pulled an envelope out of her purse as she walked over to him, holding it out for him to take. When he made no move to do so, she reached for his hand, put the envelope in it, and closed his fingers around it. Then she reached up and lightly ran her fingers over his cheek. "I love you, Jason, and I know you love me. Remember that while you're reading this. Remember that's the reason for everything I've done, and for everything I'm going to do." She stretched up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then she quickly turned, grabbed her purse and jacket, and was gone.

He didn't react until he heard her car start. Then he went to the door and watched as she drove away.

XXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, Jason turned the unopened letter over in his hands. He had been staring at it all this time, putting it down, then picking it up again. It was unlike him to be so afraid of a few sheets of paper – or maybe not. He had always been uncomfortable with the bottomless well of emotion that she drew so effortlessly from him. He was, quite literally, terrified to have to read in her own writing that she had finally done what he had always told her to do – moved on, moved away from him, found someone worthy of her.

His phone rang, but he ignored it. He wouldn't be able to focus on anything else until he read the damned letter, anyway, so there was no point in answering the phone. After a moment, it stopped chirping, and he sat in the silence once more.

Sighing, he turned the letter over one more time and slid a finger under the flap.


	3. Part 3

_A/N: Okay, the muse is still not really cooperating on Donor (I'm just stuck) or H & GS (the next prompt is not suggesting anything), so I took a break from those to edit this chapter instead. Enjoy!_

**Part 3**

_My dearest Jason:_

_I know you will probably be very angry with me for what I've done, but I need you to understand that I had no choice – I simply could not continue to live the way we were. I love you so much – so deeply that it sometimes scares me. I know you don't understand how I could love you, considering what you do for a living, and I know, as you've said before, it doesn't make sense. But, Jason, it doesn't have to make sense – that's why it's love._

_The thing is, I realized six months ago that I had become someone I no longer recognized – someone I wasn't even sure I liked very much. More importantly, I realized that, by my actions, I was teaching my children lessons that I don't ever want them to learn. I know you're asking, "What lessons?" so I'll tell you now, even though it's explained better in the gift I brought you. I realized right before I left that I have been inadvertently teaching my children that love isn't worth taking risks for – that an illusion of safety is more important than celebrating and honoring and cherishing and fighting for the love of a lifetime. And safety __**is **__an illusion, Jason – make no mistake about it. It's not real – it's something that we reach for only to have it slip through our grasp at the whim of a world gone mad. Think about what happened to Emily. Or your father. Or BJ Jones. Or the people who were in the air or in the towers on 9/11. Safety can't be guaranteed, Jason, nor should it. Would the wind in your face when you ride your bike feel as sweet or as free if you were completely safe? Would the thrill of falling in love for the very first time be as exciting if it were safe? A safe life is a life half-lived, Jason, and I'm not willing to live that kind of life anymore._

_What it comes down to is this: safety isn't real. Only love is real. And love isn't supposed to be safe. And because of that, I am choosing love over safety. I hope you'll choose that with me. I know you're afraid, Jason – I am, too. But letting fear rule our lives is not the answer. We've both survived danger and loss and grief before, and we'll survive them again. That's what living is all about. In the end, it's not how long you live, but how well you love that matters._

_I love you.  
Elizabeth_

_P.S. Open your gift now, but please don't try to reach me until you've finished it. I won't discuss it until you do._

_P.P.S. It comes out a week from Tuesday._

Jason read the letter a second time, and then a third, trying to make sense of it. What did she mean, "It comes out a week from Tuesday"? This didn't sound like Elizabeth had found someone else and moved on. It didn't sound like she was planning to do so anytime soon. He ruthlessly suppressed the relief that bubbled up at that thought. He wanted her to be happy and safe, didn't he?

But if she was right, if safety was an illusion … maybe he was keeping her from being happy for nothing. He pushed the thought away and returned to the matter at hand.

He looked at the wrapped gift on the end table as if it might contain a cobra. Based on what Elizabeth had written, and even what she had said before she left, whatever was in there would change his life – change _him _– forever.

He reached over and carefully picked up the package, his heart pounding in his chest.

Sliding a finger between the edges of the paper where it was taped together, he slowly peeled it back, and the first thing he saw was Elizabeth's eyes. Quickly tearing off the rest of the paper, he found himself staring at her picture. She was smiling into the camera as she sat on a chair leaning forward, resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on her knee, with her other arm resting on her other leg, hand dangling loosely toward the floor. For a moment, he was so caught up in how beautiful she looked, in an outfit not unlike the one she had been wearing today, that he didn't immediately realize he was holding a book.

_Oh, shit! What the hell has she done?_

He turned it over slowly, as though it were a live grenade just waiting to explode in his face. As he read the title, he realized that metaphorically, he wasn't far off – this was going to blow up in their faces, he just knew it.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel the anger she seemed to expect. Worry, yes. Maybe he was even frightened by the implications for her and the boys if, as it seemed she intended, this became public. But there was also a hint of relief underlying it all.

She hadn't left him. She hadn't moved on.

He fought the impulse to call her and demand to know what she thought she was doing. But there was no point – he was pretty sure she wouldn't think he had finished reading it already, and therefore she most likely wouldn't even take his call. She was nothing if not stubborn.

So, instead of calling her, he spent a while looking at the book cover. It had some kind of art on the front, but since it wasn't a photograph, it took him some time to realize she had somehow turned her painting – no, _his _painting – of the wind into the cover of her book. He shook his head ruefully. _How did she get that out of storage without me knowing about it?_

Finally, deciding that delaying the inevitable was pointless, he opened the cover. He skipped the title page and skimmed the acknowledgements. He flipped another page and felt his eyes grow misty as he read the dedication. _For my best friend, Emily. I miss you. And, always, for my guys – Jason, Cameron, and Jake. I love you with all my heart._

He turned another page and began to read.

_I._

_My life changed for the first time on Valentine's Day 1998, when I was 16 years old. I was sitting alone in the park, in a pretty red dress, waiting for my date. I was sure Lucky was the love of my life, and that from then on, we would be together forever. Never mind that he was crazy about my sister, Sarah, who was dating his brother, Nikolas (oh, the crazy dramas of high school!)._

_Anyway, there I was, thinking that the worst thing that could ever happen to me would be if he didn't show up …_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, Jason closed the book and glanced around, momentarily disoriented as he returned from the world Elizabeth had created in the pages of her memoir. His eyes skittered over the clock, then widened and jumped back to look more closely. It was nearly 4 am. He had become so engrossed in the story that he hadn't noticed the passage of time. He had barely heard his cell phone when it occasionally rang, and he thought that he should probably see what messages were there. He had moved only three times in twelve hours – once to get a glass of water, once to turn on more lights, and once to visit the bathroom. Now, he realized he was hungry.

Rummaging through the kitchen cabinets to decide what he might like to eat, he pondered some of the things Elizabeth had disclosed. The book was deeply personal – it included everything from her lonely childhood in a family that never valued her, to her past loves – Lucky, Ric, and even Zander, to the friendships she had had and lost, to her love of her children and of her art. And most of all, it had included him.

Oh, she had been very careful to include nothing that could get him into any trouble – he wondered if she had had a lawyer review it before she sent it to the publisher. She told the story purely from her perspective. What it had been like for her when they first met and he was her lifeline, how she had felt the times that he had left, the guilt and fear that had nearly drowned her when she chose Lucky over him, how painful it had been when he had chosen Courtney and then Sam over her. It was all there, for all the world to see.

He considered this as he made some coffee and a peanut butter sandwich, smiling slightly to himself as he saw for the thousandth time the numerous cans of soup she had insisted on stocking all those months ago, just in case he ever needed to recuperate here. He wanted to call her, but of course at this hour, he couldn't. So instead, he considered what to do next.

He realized now that he had underestimated her love for him. He hadn't understood that, as much as she loved her children, she loved him at least as much. And his fears for her safety had blinded him to the danger she was already in. Certainly, it would be safer for everyone if no one knew of her connection to him. But as he read through her book, he realized that anyone who had been paying attention over the years would know that she meant everything to him. She herself must have seen it as she recounted the ups and downs of their relationship.

Even though she didn't know the details of how far he had been willing to go to get her back when she was kidnapped, or the extent of his panic when she had been held hostage in the Metro Court lobby, or any of the particulars of his reactions or his behavior any of the other times she had been in jeopardy over the years, it was crystal clear that whenever she needed him, he dropped everything and everyone in his life to help her. If any of his enemies had really looked for leverage over him, they would easily have determined that she was it.

And then there was Jake. Even _he _could see that the boy looked more like him every day. And if he could see it in pictures despite his brain injury, it was only a matter of time before someone else noticed the resemblance. Not to mention that half of Port Charles already knew that Jake was a Morgan, regardless of what his birth certificate said. All it would take was one offhand comment at the wrong time, in the wrong company, and Jason's family would be in possibly mortal danger. Danger that he, quite likely, wouldn't have any idea about until it was too late to protect them.

And because Jason had spent the past two years burying his head in the sand, they _would _be unprotected – no guards, no safety glass, no security to speak of – not even the reinforced steel door that had protected Elizabeth at her studio all those years ago.

Sipping his coffee, Jason decided it was time to correct his mistakes, and protect the people he loved most in the world from as much of the danger in his life as he could. He glanced at the clock again. Five am.

He put his empty coffee cup in the sink, then grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. By the time Elizabeth woke up, he would be well on his way to righting the most important of his wrongs.


	4. Part 4

_A/N: Many thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers and support for my family. You will never know how much we appreciate it. Although I haven't had the time or energy to write any new updates on Donor or Hide & Go Seek, I did find some time to edit this one, so I hope you enjoy it._

**Part 4**

As she moved around her kitchen, making herself a cup of hot chocolate and thinking of how much she missed Emily at that moment, Elizabeth was startled by a quiet knock at her door. She glanced at the clock – just a little past seven. Who could be visiting at this hour?

And then she knew. She tightened the sash around her terrycloth robe and went to let him in.

He spoke as she opened the door. "Where are the boys?"

"They spent the night at Lucky's. Jason, I told you that I'm not going to discuss it until –"

He cut her off. "I finished it at four this morning."

"Oh," she said, surprised. She stepped back and motioned for him to come in. "That was fast. I figured it would take you a while to calm down enough to read it." She walked to the couch and sat down, twisting her hands together nervously, and then, realizing, placing them carefully on her lap. He sat next to her and picked up the hand closest to him, twining it with his.

"You thought I would be mad." It was a statement, not a question, but she answered him anyway.

"Well, yeah, a little. I know how much the idea of losing us scares you. I know that you think going public is dangerous." She paused. "Actually, if you finished it at four this morning, I'm a little surprised that you didn't just let yourself in during the night and wait for me to wake up."

"I didn't want to scare you. And anyway, I had things to take care of."

She frowned. "Things?"

"Yeah, things. I'll tell you about them later." He took a breath, then let it out. "Right now, I want to talk about why you felt like you had to write a book – why you couldn't just talk to me."

"I tried, Jason, I really did. But it seemed like you weren't hearing me, or maybe you weren't believing me, I'm not sure which." She stood, pulling her hand from his, and began pacing. "I kept trying to tell you that I wanted to be with you, that we weren't safer or happier or better off without you, but you were so focused on 'what if' that you just didn't seem to get it. I just – I guess I felt like you were never going to really get it unless I forced your hand." She paused to look at him, gauging his reaction, then shrugged and resumed pacing. "This seemed like the way to force your hand. And … well, I figured it wouldn't hurt if you got what you thought you wanted for a while. I thought maybe you would miss me – miss us – enough that by the time the book came out and I came back, you would be willing to face _any_ fear to be with us."

He stood and stepped into her path, forcing her to stop moving. She looked up at him, waited. He reached out and slid a tendril of hair off her face, then leaned down and kissed her sweetly. Pulling back, he said, "I _did _miss you – more than I thought I could ever miss anyone. I would go to the safehouse and think about you, just to feel close to you." He kissed her again. "I love you more than I ever imagined was possible, and even though the idea of losing you scares me, and I'm not sure I could survive it, your book made me realize some things."

She held his gaze intently. "Like what?"

"Like too many people already know about Jake for it to stay secret from my enemies forever. Like my love for you is obvious to anyone who's paying attention, whether we're together or we're not. Like even though I don't deserve you – will never deserve you – you're not leaving my heart and you're not leaving my life and you're never going to stop loving me." Her eyes welled up with unshed tears. "And you were right when you said there's no going back this time. I hope you're ready for the changes that will be happening in the next few days."

"Oh, I'm ready, Jason. When I'm with you, I can handle anything."

"Yeah, you can, can't you? Somehow, in all of this, I forgot that you're the strongest person I know. And that we're much stronger together than we are apart."

She smiled. "I'm glad you finally get it." She knew there was more to talk about, but for the moment, it would have to wait. She had other priorities. She wound her arms around his neck and stretched up to kiss him, then asked, "Now, how do you feel about showing me how much you missed me while I was gone?"

He smiled sensually, clearly liking the idea. "It would be my pleasure."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next several days were a whirlwind for Elizabeth. Jason wasn't kidding when he said there would be a lot of changes, but they were good changes. She still pinched herself sometimes to remind herself that it was real – that they were really going to live together as a family from now on. Jason had proposed the night after he had read her book. He had taken her on his bike to Vista Pointe, gotten down on one knee, and said, "I'm doing it right this time. I love you, Elizabeth Webber, and I love our sons. Please marry me."

Simple and honest, two of the things she loved most about him. And of course she had said, "Yes! I can't wait to be your wife!"

He had given her a mischievous grin and said, "You won't have to – we're getting married this weekend."

"What? How am I gonna put a wedding together by this weekend?"

He had simply smiled and said, "It's taken care of."

It seemed that the "things" he had been taking care of in the pre-dawn hours before coming to see her were all related to planning for their future together. He had woken up Cody and told him that they needed to put security in place for his family, and they had spent two hours going over what needed to be done. And apparently, right before he knocked on Elizabeth's door, he had been on the phone with Carly, of all people, convincing his friend to plan his wedding.

Now, she looked around the Metro Court and marveled at the fact that he and his people had, indeed, taken care of everything. It probably hadn't hurt that Carly co-owned the place, and even if she didn't like Elizabeth, she would do anything for Jason. So once Jason had convinced her that he really was going to marry Elizabeth, with or without her help, she had thrown herself into the arrangements with a Carly-like vengeance.

And then there were all the favors he must have called in to get the license and the church and the flowers and the music and the food and all the other details that he thought would make their wedding perfect for her. Maybe he still didn't fully understand that as long as they wound up married, she didn't really care how they got that way. Still, she took his efforts for what they were – yet another way that he could show her how much she meant to him.

Now, hours after the ceremony, Elizabeth touched the rings on her finger and smiled to herself. Someone started tapping a champagne glass with a spoon, and her smile widened as she leaned over to kiss her husband yet again – not that she would ever complain about that! She was counting the minutes until they could be alone. They would spend tonight here at the Metro Court, in the bridal suite, and then tomorrow they were leaving for a week-long honeymoon in Italy. Jason had said that he wished it could be longer, but she was just thrilled that they would finally get to _go_.

Meanwhile, Cameron and Jake would stay with Lucky, except when he was working. Lucky had been disappointed but resigned when she had told him she was marrying Jason. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I'm sure, Lucky. Please be happy for me."

"I want you to be happy, Elizabeth, but I'm worried that you or the boys will get hurt."

"Fear of getting hurt is not a reason to reject love, Lucky. I know what I'm doing." She added softly, "We don't want to lie anymore, about anything. You've been a good father to both the boys, and I hope you'll continue to be part of their lives, but we're not going to lie about Jake's paternity anymore. I hope you understand."

He had tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't budge. With a final shake of his head, he had accepted their decision and said, "Well, I still plan to see them as much as possible. I hope Jason is okay with that."

"He is," she said. "We all want what's best for the boys, and keeping them from the only father they've known wouldn't be good for them." So Lucky had wished her happiness again and left, agreeing to keep the boys with him while they were away. He had wanted them to go back to daycare when he was working, but Jason had vetoed that plan as leaving them too vulnerable.

Fortunately, Andy had finished school and re-joined the Webber-Morgan family. Jason had talked to her to make sure she was okay with the guards and security that would be necessary if she stayed with them, and she had been unfazed by all of it. She said, "I'm not letting the fear of what might happen keep me from hanging out with a family that I love." And that was that. Andy would house-sit, and the boys would be with her when Lucky was working or otherwise unavailable.

Jason hadn't wanted to disrupt Cameron and Jake's lives any more than he had to, so instead of moving them in with him, he had taken steps to secure the house and yard where Elizabeth and the boys already lived. Until the upgrades were done, there would be guards discreetly patrolling both the Webber-Morgan house and Lucky's place. In addition, Andy, Cameron, and Jake each had a guard assigned specifically to them, and when they went out in public, two more guards kept watch on the whole group as backup.

It was as good a plan as they could come up with to make them as secure as they could. After all, Jason had said, while safety might be an illusion, security was a necessity.

In the end, her wedding day had been as close to perfect as she could have hoped for, given that most of her family had refused to attend, and of course that Emily couldn't be with them. Spinelli had served as Jason's best man, looking awkward but happy in his dark suit, just like his mentor and friend did. Robin had acted as Elizabeth's maid of honor, and Father Coates had performed the ceremony at Queen of Angels. Representatives from the five families were there, but rivalries were put aside for the happy occasion, and even Carly was on her best behavior.

Finally, all the dances were danced, the toasts toasted, the cake cut, and the bouquet and garter thrown, and it was time for them to leave at last.

"Well, Mr. Morgan, how would you like to take your bride to bed?" she asked her husband with a twinkle in her eye.

He grinned back and asked with mock innocence, "Oh, are you tired, Mrs. Morgan?"

"Exhausted," she giggled back. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm completely worn out," he exaggerated. "Let's get you to bed." He swept her up in his arms and carried her out of the room to the cheers and catcalls of the assembled guests.


	5. Part 5

_A/N: I continue to appreciate all your support. Keep that feedback coming! Pretty please? LOL_

_Oh, and no one was more surprised than me when Lucky turned out not to be a huge jerk in this fic ..._ ;)

**Part 5**

The plane taxied to a stop at the Port Charles airport, and as they waited for permission to disembark, Elizabeth sighed, glancing at her husband of a whole week. "That was the best honeymoon ever."

"Well, that's good, Elizabeth, because you're never getting another one," he teased. "You're stuck with me now, for good."

She grinned mischievously. "What, no second honeymoon on our tenth anniversary? Or the 25th? Or even the fiftieth?"

"Well, maybe I'll let you talk me into it," Jason allowed, grinning back. "But definitely no more _first_ honeymoons for you."

She sighed with mock disappointment, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to endure." Then she leaned over and kissed him. He returned her kiss, deepening it as he so frequently did, until she pulled back and smiled at him. "Thank you for showing me the light in Italy, Jason."

"You're welcome, Elizabeth," he smiled, then leaned in to kiss her again.

This time, his hands started wandering, but she pulled back again. "Uh-uh, none of that until we get home."

"Aw, you're gonna make me wait that long? Are you trying to kill me?"

"We'll be home in less than an hour," she laughed, standing up. "You'll survive."

"I don't know," he said doubtfully, as he stood and began gathering their things. "I think I need a few more kisses to get me through." She laughed again, pulling his lips to hers and kissing him thoroughly.

"Will you survive, do you think?" she asked, her voice ringing with mock concern.

"I guess," he said, still sounding doubtful.

She giggled at his dramatics and bumped her hip against his. "Let's go home."

They stepped off the gangway into the airport, still completely wrapped up in one another. Max and Milo were both waiting at the security checkpoint, and the two guards fell into step on either side of them, visually sweeping the area for any potential threat. As the glass doors slid open to let them out of the terminal and into the dropoff/pickup area, a limo pulled smoothly to the curb. Cody got out of the driver's seat and came around to open the door, eyes scanning the area relentlessly. Meanwhile, Ritchie stepped from the passenger side, and quickly took their bags to be stowed in the trunk as the rest of the party piled into the car.

They pulled away from the curb as soon as Ritchie slid back into the passenger seat. Elizabeth tried not to be sad that their Italian adventure was over, and she decided to call and check on the boys. Cody and Milo had traded places, with Milo now driving and Cody speaking softly with Jason and Max. Elizabeth assumed they were catching Jason up on business, since she heard Sonny's name mentioned a couple of times while she waited for Lucky to pick up the phone.

Finally, he answered, sounding out of breath. "Hello?"

"Lucky? It's Elizabeth," she said, even though she figured he would recognize her voice.

"Hey, Elizabeth," he answered cheerfully. "We were just playing horsey. Are you back?"

"Yes, we just landed, so I thought I'd check on the boys." She had spoken to them every night at bedtime, as well as that morning before leaving Italy, but she hadn't been away from them for this long before, so she wanted to hear their voices once more tonight. She had been tempted to pick them up as soon as she got home, but she had been concerned that if the plane was delayed, they might miss bedtime. So, they had all agreed that she would pick them up in the morning.

"They're right here. Cameron, do you want to say hello to Mommy?"

There was a short pause, and then Cameron's voice came on the line. "Mommy!" he shouted gleefully. "I miss you!"

"You _do_?" she asked delightedly. "Well, that's only fair, because I miss you, too, Cameron. But Jason and I will come and pick you up tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," he replied cheerfully. "I'm gonna go play now, 'kay?"

"Okay, honey, can you give Jake the phone?"

"Okay, Mommy," he said. "Bye, I love you!"

"I love you, too, baby," she answered.

A moment later, Jake said, "Mama, you come see me?"

"Hi, Jake! I'll come and see you tomorrow, and we'll spend the whole day together, okay?"

"Okay. Um, Mama?"

"Yes, Jake?"

"Me an' Cam an' Daddy playin' horsey." His voice, so serious and confiding, charmed her.

"You _are_?" she asked, smiling even as she made a mental note to figure out how to deal with the fact that her children now had two father figures. "That's fun, isn't it, baby?" The limo turned onto their street, and Elizabeth saw several cars, including a police car, in their driveway, so she wrapped up the call. "Listen, Jake, you be good, and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"'kay, Mommy, bye!"

"Bye, honey, I love you!"

"I love you, Mommy!"

Elizabeth disconnected the call, frowning as she wondered why the police were there. Had something happened? They couldn't possibly be there to arrest Jason for something, could they?

As if sensing her concern, he reached out and took her hand in his, even as his gaze stayed on Cody, who was still talking about who-knew-what. As they turned into the driveway, Jason squeezed her hand.

As soon as the car stopped, the door was yanked open from the outside, and an all-too-familiar voice echoed through the open doorway. "Elizabeth Webber, please step out of the car."

She shook off her shock – they were here for _her_? – stepped out of the car, and replied, "As you may or may not know, Ric, the name is Elizabeth Morgan now."

"I heard," he spat out disdainfully, glaring briefly at Jason, who, having climbed out on the other side of the car, was already on the phone, probably arranging for Diane to meet them at the police station. Ric turned back to Elizabeth and continued, "Whatever your name is at the moment, you are under arrest for perjury." She listened in disbelief as her ex-husband, the district attorney, read her her rights while some nameless police officer snapped handcuffs around her wrists.

"Perjury?" she repeated, her voice reflecting her shock. She met Jason's eyes, willing him to stay calm and not get himself into trouble on her behalf. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod and continued talking to Diane, never once even looking at Ric. The guards, taking their cue from Jason, also looked on silently, although she could feel the waves of anger coming off of them. She was one of _theirs _now, and they clearly hated that they couldn't keep Ric from doing this to her.

Ric was speaking, and she forced herself to pay attention to him, even as she kept her eyes locked with Jason's. "Perjury," her ex-husband confirmed smugly. "Remember when you testified at Jason's trial that Lucky was the father of your son? I now have evidence, in your own words, that you lied. If I could, I would prosecute _him_ again, but I can't, so I guess I'll just have to settle for setting an example with _you_." He glanced at Jason again, looking disappointed that Jason hadn't attacked him or shot him or something.

Elizabeth wondered if he really thought Jason was stupid enough to do something like that in front of all these witnesses. She supposed so – the man had always underestimated Jason on every level, seemingly never recognizing how smart and patient and strong-willed her new husband could be when a situation called for it.

Meanwhile, her own shock was fading, morphing into anger. Confident now that Jason was in control of the situation, she couldn't resist a dig herself. Finally tearing her eyes from Jason's, she raised an eyebrow at her ex-husband and mocked, "Well, Ric, if this is what it takes to make you feel like a man, I feel sorry for you. And in the end, it won't matter, because Jason and I are married, and we're gonna _stay_ married, no matter what trouble you try to cause."

"We'll see how you feel after a night in jail," Ric answered.

His condescending tone grated on her nerves, but she only shrugged said lightly, "Maybe we will, maybe we won't." She turned to the officer who had cuffed her and asked pleasantly, "Would you please take me to the station now? I can't stand the sight of him." Though he certainly did his best to hide it, Elizabeth felt Ric flinch at her words. She didn't look back at him as she continued, "And try to keep him away from me until my lawyer gets there. Do you know Diane Miller?"

The officer nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I surely do." The officer was gentle with her, giving her an apologetic look and telling her to watch her head as he carefully placed her in the back seat of the police car. She figured he had probably dealt with Diane before, and the last thing he wanted was to give the woman grounds to sue him or the department.

Just as the officer seemed ready to shut the door, Jason was suddenly there. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. He said, his voice gentle, "Don't worry, Elizabeth, Diane is on her way. You'll be home before the ink is dry on the paperwork, okay?"

She nodded, but she could see in his eyes that he was furious with Ric, who was yelling in the background to get Jason away from there, so she said, "I'm fine, Jason. Diane will handle everything, so don't worry, and don't do anything that could get you into trouble."

He kissed her again and said, "I'll see you soon." Then he stepped back, shut the door, and nodded at the officer, and she was on her way to the station.

Half an hour later, she had been booked, and she supposed the officer didn't have the authority to control who came into the interrogation room, because Ric was there, and he just wouldn't stop yapping at her. She had no idea what he was talking about, however, because she had simply mentally checked out of the conversation. To occupy her mind, she recalled every detail of her honeymoon, and as she did, a small smile touched her lips. Ric must have noticed her disinterest in his tirade, because as she sat staring at the wall behind his head, saying nothing, he was growing more and more agitated, going on and on about his opinion of her marriage … or his opinion that she was being foolish or … something.

She didn't care enough about his opinion to figure it out. She hoped Diane would get here soon – she knew Jason had probably followed her to the station, and was quite likely even now wearing a hole in the linoleum and demanding to see her. But she also knew that seeing her in here wouldn't sit well with him, and she just hoped he was still keeping his cool and not doing anything stupid.

Several minutes later, she was delighted when the door to the interrogation room was flung open, and Diane strode in. "I believe my client asked that you be kept away from her, Mr. Lansing."

"What?" Ric asked disingenuously. "Why would Elizabeth do that?"

"Just a guess, here, Mr. Lansing," Diane answered smoothly, "but maybe it's because you're a petty little man who is abusing the power of his office to harass his ex-wife?" Elizabeth's lip quirked up briefly at that salvo. It was actually kind of fun to watch Diane tear Ric to pieces verbally.

However, she really didn't want to spend the night in jail – not with her sexy new husband waiting for her and the promise she had made to her sons that she would see them in the morning – so she hoped this would be over soon. Ric was sputtering now about having proof that she had lied on the witness stand. When Diane asked, "What proof?" he opened his briefcase and pulled out a copy of her memoir.

So _that _was what had set him off. "That's not even out yet!" Elizabeth exclaimed in pure frustration. "Where did you get it?" She probably should have made an effort to warn him, she supposed, but she never really wanted to talk to him unless she had to – not with his obsessive vendetta against Jason.

He smirked at her. "Your _husband_ isn't the only one who has connections, Elizabeth. I know people, too." She just rolled her eyes, which probably wasn't the smartest response, since it would almost certainly inflame him further, but she didn't really care. Diane would take care of this.

Meanwhile, Diane picked up the book and thumbed through it casually. "I've read this. What is it supposed to prove?"

"If you read it, Ms. Miller, you must have noticed that Elizabeth identifies Jason Morgan as her son's father."

"Yes," Diane agreed, sounding unconcerned. "It does. But that doesn't prove that she knew it at the time of the trial."

"Oh, please. You can do better than that. She testified that she had a paternity test done," Ric reminded Diane in a mocking tone. "And I've got a copy of it."

Elizabeth wasn't worried. She and Diane had discussed the entire manuscript at some length before she had shipped it to the publisher. They had made sure that there was nothing that could sustain a legal charge against either her or Jason – or even Lucky, for that matter. He had broken the law, after all, but her children thought of him as their father. And anyway, she didn't hold a grudge for the mistakes he had made, especially since her own inability to face her fears had played some role in setting the stage for his mistakes, too.

Diane laughed softly. "And how do you know that someone didn't falsify the test results that Mrs. Morgan originally saw?" Elizabeth knew the other woman was just toying with Ric – offering up red herrings to keep him occupied until a preliminary hearing could be arranged. Jason was probably calling in favors even now to get a judge into chambers to hold the hearing tonight.

The fact was, Ric was missing proof of an essential element of the crime of perjury. Diane had explained that lying on the stand wasn't, by itself, enough to sustain a perjury conviction. No, the lie had to be material to the case, and Jake's paternity, quite simply … wasn't.

Whether Jason was Jake's father or not had nothing to do with whether Jason had killed Lorenzo Alcazar. In fact, later testimony in the trial had convinced judge and jury alike that Lorenzo was actually alive and well and living in South America. So, even if Elizabeth's false testimony could be used to impeach her character, it still ultimately had nothing to do with the result of the trial.

And if it wasn't material to the outcome, even a whopper of a lie like the one she had told wasn't perjury.

A police officer knocked and entered without waiting for a response.

"Judge Johnson is ready for the preliminary hearing," she said.

"What?" Ric paused midway through another insult directed at Diane, and his head jerked to the door in shock. "At this hour? Judges don't do preliminary hearings at eight o'clock at night."

Diane's smile was feral. "Judge Johnson is a night court judge, and she heard Mrs. Morgan had been arrested before her honeymoon was even over – for an unsubstantiated charge, by her ex-husband, the DA. Knowing that, the judge was only too happy to stay a little later to handle this tonight."

"But – but I'm not prepared to go before the judge tonight," Ric sputtered.

"Well, then, drop the charges and you won't have to. Otherwise, my client has a right to a speedy trial, and I won't allow the prosecution to deny her that."

"You – you can't _do _that!" Ric protested.

"_I _didn't, Mr. Lansing," Diane said modestly. "The U.S. Constitution did. I am merely speaking on its behalf." She gave him her best glare for several seconds, and Elizabeth enjoyed watching him squirm. "Well? What's it going to be? Are we heading into the courtroom or are we stopping this travesty of an abuse of the legal system right here?"


	6. Part 6

_A/N: Thanks for all your feedback! I need MORE! LOL!_

**Part 6**

"All rise!"

Elizabeth dutifully stood as the judge entered the courtroom. She glanced nervously at Diane, wondering where Jason was. She hoped he wasn't doing anything crazy.

Ric had refused to drop the charges, and they had gone before the judge that night, barely a month ago, when she had gotten arrested. Diane hadn't wanted to divulge their theory of the case, because she felt there was an even chance that the judge would still hold Elizabeth over for trial and then Ric would be on notice and prepared to defend against their strategy. So, she had simply pleaded not guilty and argued for bail instead, which was granted on condition that Elizabeth surrender her passport. Having just come back from Italy, and given Diane's certainty that she would be exonerated, Elizabeth had been only too happy to comply. After all, she wouldn't be leaving her boys again any time soon.

And anyway, if everything went terribly wrong and she somehow was convicted, she had no doubt that before the judge even finished saying the word "guilty," Jason would have her whisked away to God-knows-where until he could straighten it all out. Even though he had promised (sort of) not to do anything crazy, she knew he would never sit by and let her spend even a single night in jail.

Diane had pushed for and won a quick trial date, and here they were, waiting for the jury to enter the courtroom. Elizabeth had spent the intervening time with her family. She had quickly grown accustomed to the security that was now simply part of her life, and she and Andy and the guards had taken the boys all over the city – to the children's museum, to the playground, to the park, to the swimming pool – everywhere that active and inquisitive boys would love to go. Sometimes Jason joined them, sometimes he didn't, but it was a wonderful time despite the looming trial.

And the nights! Jason had come home every night of their marriage so far, and while she knew that business would eventually interfere, they had developed a comfortable pattern in the evenings. First, they would have dinner with the boys, then help them with their bedtime routine. When the boys were tucked in and they finally had time to themselves, they would sit on the couch in front of the fireplace (even though it was too warm to actually light a fire) and sip drinks – hers, wine or hot chocolate, his, beer or coffee – and talk for hours. Sometimes they talked about their family, sometimes about the day they had spent, and sometimes Jason just read to Elizabeth from a travel book. They never seemed to run out of things to say to each other – Elizabeth marveled at how talkative Jason became, late at night when it was just the two of them.

Or, if they didn't feel like talking, he would stretch out on the couch, and she would lie half atop him, in the circle of his arms, savoring his presence in a comfortable quiet.

Sometimes, if the boys were with Lucky, they would share a romantic dinner for two, followed by the same cozy chats by the fireplace. Either way, they eventually made their way upstairs and spent hours making love, reveling in the freedom of knowing that finally, there was no time limit and no reason to worry that someone would find out.

Now, Elizabeth heard the door to the courtroom open, and even before she turned around, she knew that Jason had slipped in – partly because his eyes immediately sought her out, and she could always feel his gaze on her, and partly because she saw Ric glance toward the door and stiffen, right in the middle of his opening statement. She also knew when Jason slid onto the bench behind her, but she forced herself to follow Diane's instructions. She was to look like she was paying attention to what Ric was saying (even if she wasn't), and she was to maintain a curious expression, as though she had no idea what Ric was claiming she had done (even though she did).

Ric had made a number of comments in the weeks leading up to the trial that suggested he was not pleased with how she had portrayed him in her book. But how was she supposed to be honest and, at the same time, _not_ make Ric look like an insecure, cheating liar who had almost killed her? But apparently, her low opinion of him didn't affect his obsession with her, and their case was only strengthened when Ric told Elizabeth that all she had to do was divorce Jason and remarry him, and he would see that all the charges were dropped.

The funny thing was that sales of her book had skyrocketed because of all the publicity generated by the trial Ric was insisting on, and it seemed to her that public opinion was squarely in her corner. In her experience, the average American never liked a bully – and in the context of her book, the newspapers made it seem like Ric was picking on his ex-wife simply because she loved his rival more than him.

Now, Ric finally wound up his opening statement, saying, "And the people will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Elizabeth Webber Morgan lied under oath to protect her lover from a murder charge. Thank you."

Diane stood and said, "The defense would like to reserve its opening statement for later, your honor."

"All right," said the judge. "Call your first witness, Mr. Lansing."

Ric looked surprised, but he shrugged and called the court clerk, who authenticated the transcript of Elizabeth's testimony from Jason's trial. He read into the record the portion where he questioned Jake's paternity, and she insisted that her husband was the father. It was so boring that Elizabeth had to fight to keep her eyes from sliding shut.

When it was her turn to question the court clerk, Diane said simply, "You are certifying the _entire _trial transcript, are you not? Not just Mrs. Morgan's testimony?"

"That's correct."

"That's all," said Diane, and the witness was excused.

Next, Ric called the records custodian from General Hospital, who testified about the paternity test – when it was done, what the results were, and how and when they were communicated to Elizabeth. The woman also testified about the steps routinely taken to ensure that results could not be falsified and that mistakes would not be made.

"So, is there any doubt in your mind, then, that Mrs. Morgan knew that Jason Morgan was the father of her son, Jacob Martin?"

"Objection," Diane said, standing. "Calls for speculation."

"Sustained. Stick to the facts, Mr. Lansing."

"Withdrawn," said Ric, having made his point simply by asking the question. He still seemed to think that Elizabeth's defense rested on her having thought Lucky was the father at the time of trial, which was exactly what Diane wanted him to think.

When Diane said she had no questions for the witness, Ric looked nonplussed for a moment, but then he called Lucky to the stand. As Lucky passed the defense table, he gave Elizabeth an apologetic look. Elizabeth gave him a nearly imperceptible shrug and a reassuring smile. She felt sorry for Lucky – the discovery of Jake's paternity had been really hard on him, and to have to talk about it in public had to be rough. Especially since they had moved on from it and were now friends, of a sort.

He was sworn in, and Ric jumped right in. "When did you learn that Jason Morgan was the father of your wife's son?"

Lucky seemed reluctant to answer Ric's question, starting with, "If you're talking about Elizabeth, she's not my wife anymore, Mr. Lansing, just like she's not _yours _anymore."

She could practically _feel _the jury's shock at his words. They hadn't been told that she was being prosecuted by her ex-husband, and Elizabeth knew that Ric had just lost a lot of credibility with them. She gave Lucky another reassuring smile, knowing that while he would tell the truth, he would try to protect her as best he could.

Ric wasn't having that, though. "When did you find out that the defendant lied about the paternity of her son, Jacob Martin Spencer?"

"The birth certificate has been changed, Mr. Lansing. His name is Jacob Martin Morgan now."

Ric's frustration was already starting to show after only two questions. "Detective Spencer, would you please answer the question? When did you find out the truth?"

"I found out in November of 2007, when Elizabeth and Jason told me."

"Why didn't you arrest her for perjury then?" Ric asked.

"It didn't occur to me to arrest her. I had other things on my mind," he said in an ironic tone, and a few members of the jury snickered. "Then, we all agreed that it would be best for Jake if everyone believed I was his father."

"And why is that, Detective?"

"Mr. Morgan is a very wealthy, very powerful man. He has enemies, and he was concerned that they might attempt to use Jake as leverage against him."

"Let's call a spade a spade, detective. Mr. Morgan is a mobster, isn't he?"

That brought Diane to her feet. "Objection. Mr. Morgan is not on trial here, and even if he were, he's never been convicted of so much as a parking ticket. He is a businessman, pure and simple."

Ric started to argue, but the judge banged the gavel. "Sustained. Stick to the _relevant_ facts, Mr. Lansing."

"Sorry, your honor," Ric said obsequiously. "Detective Spencer, when did your wife say she found out that Jake wasn't your son?"

"Objection," Diane said. "Hearsay."

"It's a statement by a party opponent, your honor. It's not hearsay," Ric pointed out.

"I have to agree. Overruled. The witness may answer." Elizabeth knew, because Diane winked at her as she sat down, that she hadn't expected to win the objection, but had made it purely to keep Ric on the wrong track.

"She said she had known for a while," Lucky said.

"Can you be more specific?" Ric asked.

"No, I can't," Lucky said. "I didn't ask for details, and if she gave them to me, I don't remember what she said. I was very upset, as you might imagine, and a lot of the details of that conversation are a blur to me." Elizabeth noticed that a few of the jurors were nodding sympathetically.

Apparently deciding that Lucky wasn't going to help his case any further, Ric said, "No more questions."

Diane stood, and for the first time, she asked some pointed questions. "Detective, are you familiar with the relationship between Elizabeth Morgan and the District Attorney?"

"Yes, I am," said Lucky.

"Objection," said Ric. "How is this relevant?"

"It goes to the defense's theory of the case, your honor."

"Which is what?" Ric sneered. "That I somehow forced Elizabeth to lie on the witness stand?"

"No, that this entire prosecution is simply the latest in a long line of abuses of power, in which you use your position to harass and persecute my client and her husband because you can't stand the fact that Elizabeth Morgan is happy without you."

Ric started to protest again, but the judge interrupted. "Objection overruled, Mr. Lansing. And if the evidence shows that to be true, I will personally see to it that you are disbarred."

"Detective Spencer, what have you observed about the relationship between Mr. Lansing and Mr. and Mrs. Morgan?"

"Mr. Lansing has always been irrationally, obsessively jealous of Jason, ever since he realized that Elizabeth loves Jason more than she ever loved him."

"Objection, your honor," Ric interrupted. "Is the detective an expert on jealousy and obsession now?"

Diane rolled her eyes dramatically for the jury's benefit, and retorted, "As a detective, Mr. Spencer is well-versed in human behavior. However, I am more than happy to ask the detective to stick with reporting observations of the DA's behavior, if your honor wishes."

"Yes, that will be fine."

Under Diane's skillful questioning, Lucky talked about a number of times when Ric had seemed inordinately interested in Elizabeth, as well as his tendency to insist on arresting and charging Jason with crimes without enough evidence to support convictions – as was demonstrated by the fact that Jason had been acquitted every single time.

By the time Lucky stepped off the witness stand, Ric was fuming and the jury was shooting sympathetic looks at Elizabeth.

Ric next attempted to call Jason to the stand, but Diane blocked that by objecting on the grounds of spousal privilege. The judge looked impatient with Ric as she sustained the objection. "Mr. Lansing, you know better than that," she scolded. "Stop wasting the court's time and call your next witness."

After that, the prosecution rested. Diane immediately stood and said, "Your honor, at this time, I would like to make a motion for a directed verdict, as the prosecution has not met its burden of proof."

Ric jumped out of his seat. "Your honor, we have provided ample evidence that Mrs. Morgan lied under oath. The defense is grasping at straws."

"Even if we grant that to be true, which we do only for the sake of argument on this issue, you have presented _no _evidence that Mrs. Morgan's false testimony was material to the verdict in that case, Mr. Lansing. It's not perjury if it's not relevant," Diane said cheerfully.

"May we approach, your honor?" Ric asked, belatedly realizing that the jury was hearing things he would prefer they didn't.

The judge nodded, and as soon as they were near enough, she asked quietly, "What about that, Mr. Lansing? You didn't present any evidence that the testimony was material to the verdict, and on its face, it doesn't seem to be."

"How are we supposed to know what the jury was thinking? Jury deliberations are privileged. This should be a question of fact for _this_ jury, your honor."

"Your honor, the prosecution has the burden of proof on _all_ elements of the crime, not just the ones that are fun for him to talk about. We have no obligation to mount a defense if the prosecution hasn't met its burden. And the transcript itself shows that compelling evidence was presented that Mr. Alcazar, the person Mr. Morgan was charged with killing, wasn't actually dead. With that evidence available, Mrs. Morgan could have shouted the truth about her son from the rooftops and it would have made no difference at all."

"All right, I've heard enough. I'm ready to make my ruling," said the judge. "Step back."


	7. Part 7

**Part 7**

Late that evening, Elizabeth lay quietly in Jason's arms. "Stop worrying," he said. "You heard what Diane said. She wasn't surprised or concerned that the judge didn't grant the motion." He stroked her back in a gentle, soothing motion as he reminded her, "Diane says judges rarely grant these motions even when they should; they prefer to have the jury render the verdict. Especially since we can't question the jury that acquitted me. Anyway, Diane will renew the motion after you testify, but even if the judge doesn't grant it then, the jury will never convict you. I've been watching them, and Diane is right – the men are half in love with you, and the women despise Ric."

Elizabeth laughed. "The men are not in love with me, Jason. They feel sorry for me."

"Hey, I recognize the look they've been giving you, and it's definitely not pity," Jason teased, obviously trying to lighten her mood. "If they weren't afraid of me, they'd probably all be asking you out when the trial ends."

She smacked his chest lightly, then immediately soothed the same spot with a kiss. "They aren't afraid of you, Jason – or they won't be by the time I finish testifying tomorrow."

"Hey, worry about you, not me, and watch what you do to my reputation! If people aren't afraid of me, I'll have to work a lot harder to take care of the business."

She giggled, then rolled over to straddle him and said, "Well, then, I guess I better enjoy my time with you now, don't you think?"

"Oh, I think you're definitely right about that," he replied, and pulled her down for a long kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, the trial began again.

Diane called only one witness – Elizabeth herself. She got straight to the point with her very first question. "Elizabeth, the district attorney claims that you lied when you testified at Jason's trial for the alleged murder of Lorenzo Alcazar. Is he correct about that?"

"Yes, he is," Elizabeth said, keeping her answer simple and looking at the jury, as Diane had told her to do.

"What did you lie about?"

"Ric asked me if Jason was the father of my son, Jake. I said no, that Lucky Spencer, who was my husband at the time, was Jake's father."

"And you said that a paternity test confirmed that?"

"Yes, I did."

"Were you aware that you were under oath?"

"Yes, I was," Elizabeth answered.

"Elizabeth, would you please tell the jury why you lied?"

"Well, it wasn't just one thing. There were actually several reasons." She looked at the jury, her expression hopeful, but not pleading or desperate. She kept her voice even. "The most important one was that, as Lucky said yesterday, I was concerned that people might try to use Jake to get leverage on Jason. I mean, Jason is a wonderful person – a terrific husband and father, but some people –" here, she let her eyes pass briefly over Ric, then returned them to the jury "—are jealous of his success, and they do crazy things. So I thought Jake would be safer if everyone continued to think Lucky was his father."

"You said there was more than one reason. What were the other reasons?"

"Well, I never would have lied if I thought it was in any way relevant to what Jason was accused of. But, I mean, I was there to testify about Jason's activities on the day Mr. Alcazar disappeared, and I didn't see what my son had to do with anything. I figured it was just Ric trying to humiliate me publicly. He hates Jason, you know, and not just because of me –"

"Objection. Speculation."

Diane stood to object, but Elizabeth beat her to it, looking earnestly at the judge as she spoke. "It's not speculation, your honor. It's common knowledge that Ric hates Jason – partly because I love him, and partly because Ric's brother, Sonny Corinthos, loves him, and partly because Jason is everything that Ric isn't – kind and gentle, honest and loyal, honorable and fair. Everyone who knows Ric knows that he despises Jason because he's insanely jealous of all that. Ric makes no secret of it – except, apparently, here in the courtroom."

The judge didn't give either of the lawyers a chance to speak; she simply nodded and said, "Overruled."

"But your honor –" Ric protested.

"I said _overruled_," the judge said pointedly, glaring at Ric. "If you have a problem with it, take it up on appeal. Now, Ms. Miller, you may continue with your questioning."

"Thank you, your honor. Now, Elizabeth, do you have any examples of things Ric Lansing has said or done that support your belief that he has been persecuting you and your husband?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Elizabeth said. Over Ric's objection, she told the jury about his history of obsessive and jealous behavior over the course of their acquaintance with one another. She ended with, "The night he had me arrested, I asked for a lawyer, but instead of waiting for Ms. Miller to get there, he kept trying to convince me that I shouldn't have married Jason. I wasn't paying close attention at the time – being arrested was a first for me, so it was hard to focus. Anyway, a couple of days later, he came to see me while Ms. Miller was meeting with his assistant to review his evidence. To make a long story short, he offered to drop the charges against me if I would divorce Jason and remarry him."

"Objection!" Ric cried emphatically. "That's hearsay."

Diane said, "Your honor, it's being offered to demonstrate the District Attorney's motivation and the reasonableness of Mrs. Morgan's belief that he was using his position to embarrass her, not to prove it's true."

"That's a very fine line you're walking, Ms. Miller. The objection is overruled, but watch it."

"Yes, your honor. So, Elizabeth, you lied to protect your son, because you felt the whole issue was irrelevant to the charges against Jason, and because you felt that Mr. Lansing was engaged in a vendetta against you and Jason. Any other reasons?"

Again, Elizabeth turned to the jury. "Well, at that point, I hadn't told Lucky the truth yet – I know I should have, but he had been going through a rough time, and I just couldn't bring myself to hurt him like that, you know?" Several jurors nodded sympathetically. "I mean, don't get me wrong, no matter when I told him, it was gonna hurt him, but I just thought – the only purpose telling the truth in open court could possibly serve was to hurt someone that I cared deeply about – someone I still care deeply about. And Lucky didn't deserve that, no matter what mistakes he made." She shrugged. "Am I sorry that I lied? Yes, of course. I never should have allowed Lucky to believe Jake was his to begin with, and I wish I had told the truth a lot sooner than I did, and then I would have found it easier to tell the truth in court, too. Would I do the same thing again if I could do it over? I could tell you that I would change it, that with the clarity of hindsight, I know better, and that's true. But the whole truth is, I don't know. Based on what I knew at that time, I just don't know. I hope I would tell the truth – actually, I'd like to think I would have found a way to tell Lucky before the trial – but who really knows? But I can say this with certainty – I am committed to living my life honestly now. That's why I published a book that set the record straight. And if I ever find myself in a position to testify again – well, let's just say that I never want to see another jury forced to sit through a boring trial because of me."

Diane said, "No further questions. Your witness, Mr. Lansing."

Ric stood and walked over to stand directly in front of Elizabeth. Elizabeth recoiled slightly at the look on his face. He was feeling cornered, and she wondered how close he was to snapping. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason tense; Diane must have known his protective instincts were being provoked, because she immediately stood and said, "Your honor, I object to the District Attorney's blatant attempt to intimidate the witness. As far as I can see, he has no need to be so close to her."

"Objection sustained," the judge said. "Mr. Lansing, you will ask permission if you wish to approach a witness, and you will not even ask permission unless you have a legitimate need to do so. Now, step back."

"Sorry, your honor." Ric glanced at the jury before walking away. He didn't seem to like what he saw, because he made a visible effort to calm down and neutralize his expression. After a moment, he began speaking, seemingly unable to keep the sneer out of his voice, "Mrs. Morgan, do you mean to tell this court that you are an expert in legal matters?"

Elizabeth shrugged and said simply, "No, of course I don't." Diane had instructed her to answer as briefly as possible – just "yes" or "no", if she could.

"Then how could you know what was relevant and what wasn't?"

Elizabeth glanced at Diane, who was looking at Ric as though she couldn't believe he was making it that easy. She gave Elizabeth an almost imperceptible nod, which Elizabeth took as permission to say whatever she liked. So, taking a deep breath and letting it out, Elizabeth once again looked at the jury. At this point, they seemed to have given up any semblance of neutrality. Several of the women were glaring at Ric, while a few of the men were giving Elizabeth encouraging smiles. _Maybe Jason was right about that, after all. _She said thoughtfully, "Well, I always heard that juries are supposed to use their common sense, and it just seemed like common sense to me. I mean – what Jason was doing on the day Lorenzo Alcazar disappeared – sure, of course that seemed relevant to the question of whether he had anything to do with it. But what he had been doing with me more than nine months earlier in the privacy of his home? That just – _didn't_. I just couldn't imagine anyone on the jury really caring about that when they were deciding on a verdict. If I was wrong, I'm sorry, but I still don't see how it could have mattered whose DNA gave me my son."

Ric looked at the jury again, and suddenly he seemed to realize for the first time that they were not just unhappy – they were _seriously_ displeased and maybe even angry with him. Apparently, he decided not to make things worse; he simply shook his head, as if he couldn't believe they were taking Elizabeth's side, and said, "No more questions."

Elizabeth stepped down, sharing a private smile with Jason. Diane rested her case, and Ric didn't call any rebuttal witnesses. Diane renewed her motion for a directed verdict, but the judge again denied it, saying that the jury could decide whether the prosecution had met its burden or not. Elizabeth wasn't concerned, though. Diane really hadn't expected to win the motion – she just wanted to be able to argue the issue on appeal if something went really wrong and they actually lost the case.

Ric's summation was, thankfully, relatively short. He seemed to realize he was in hot water with the jury, because he mostly just reiterated a lot of what he had said in his opening statement, but he was careful not to say anything that would suggest a personal bias against Elizabeth or Jason. Based on the way the jury was looking at him, however, Elizabeth thought he might have seen the light too late, which of course could only be good for her.

Finally, he wrapped it up, saying, "Even if you assume that my motives include a desire to get back at Jason Morgan for something, which they don't, that doesn't change the fact that Elizabeth Webber Morgan has admitted to lying under oath. That's perjury, and you should find her guilty."

Diane stood and walked over to the jury. She kept her closing argument brief. "The prosecutor is asking you to ignore the fact that he has not proven his case. The judge will instruct you that if you find that Elizabeth Morgan's testimony in Jason Morgan's trial was not relevant to the jury's verdict, you cannot find her guilty of perjury. Do we want people to be truthful under oath? Of course we do. But in this case, the law has a policy of no harm, no foul. And Mrs. Morgan honestly and reasonably believed that her ex-husband was asking her questions about her son, not because they had any bearing on the case, but out of a desire to embarrass her and her child's father – now her husband – Jason. And finally, Mrs. Morgan was concerned for the safety and well-being of both her son and the man she was married to at that time, Detective Lucky Spencer. Did she make a mistake? Yes, of course. She told you herself that she did. She also told you that she's sorry for that, and that she wishes she had been strong enough to handle things differently back then. She made a mistake, but in the end, that mistake wasn't what led that jury to acquit Mr. Morgan.

"As the judge will tell you in a few moments, you are to use your common sense in deciding this case, and common sense tells us that the evidence that Mr. Alcazar was shown to have voluntarily left the country – alive and well – led to the acquittal. In light of that evidence, common sense also says that Mr. Morgan would have been acquitted no matter _what_ Mrs. Morgan said in response to an immaterial question from a man who was motivated by petty jealousy rather than a desire for justice. Under these circumstances, Mrs. Morgan's untruth – her _mistake_ – does not rise to the level of perjury, and the law requires that you find her not guilty."

With that, Diane sat down. Then the judge instructed the jury, and when the court adjourned, Diane said, "Juries usually take at least a little while. Why don't you go get some coffee and I'll call you when we get a verdict? I'm just going to go call the office in the meantime." Having said that, Diane shut her briefcase and headed for the door.

Ric had left right after the judge, as had the onlookers – it had been a while since their last break and they probably were lining up to use the facilities – so Jason and Elizabeth were soon alone in the courtroom, except for Cody and Milo, who had been there every day to provide protection and to keep the media at bay.

Jason immediately pulled Elizabeth to him, holding her close for a long moment. She felt his lips in her hair, and then he said, "You did great. I told you the jury loved you."

She relaxed against him, suddenly really tired. "Yeah, you did, didn't you?" A sudden thought occurred to her, and she looked up at him to ask, "Hey, I never did ask you – why were you late getting to court yesterday?"

"Oh," he said cryptically, "I was putting backup plans in place. I don't think we'll be needing them now, though."

She said, "I hope not. So you think the jury understood?"

"Yeah, I do," he said sincerely. "They saw for themselves that Ric is motivated by jealousy, obsession, and vengeance. And none of them wants _you_ to think they lack common sense," he teased, "So they won't want to decide that your lie was material, and therefore they won't convict you."

"You're awfully optimistic all of a sudden," she smiled.

"Well, there's a possibility I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Now, do you want to go get some coffee?"

She made a face. "No, not really, but I'll come along if you do."

"Why don't we go sit outside for a while?" She made another face, thinking of the media throngs that had been hounding her since she was arrested. He must have read her thoughts, because he said, "Don't worry, Cody will keep them away from us."

"Well, I guess it would be okay, then. It _is_ pretty nice out."

He released her, then took her hand and brought it to his lips. "It'll all be over soon, and we can get on with our lives."

She smiled and said, "I can't wait." And she let Jason lead her out into the sunshine to await the jury's return.


	8. Part 8

**Part 8**

It seemed to Jason that they had just settled down on a bench outside when his phone rang. Elizabeth shifted from her favorite position (leaning on him) so that he could pull it from his pocket. "Yeah?"

Diane's voice came over the line, as full of excitement as he had ever heard her. "Jason, the jury's back. Get back here as quickly as you can."

"Already?" He felt Elizabeth's sudden alertness, and knew she was nervous about the verdict. He himself was surprised that they had come back so fast. Based on Diane's comments and his own experience, he had fully expected this to take a while, even though he was confident that Elizabeth would be acquitted in the end. Of course, he doubted that any of the jurors who had decided his fate had ever been as enamored of him as Elizabeth's jury was of her. Not that he could blame them.

Diane was speaking, so he forced himself to pay attention, even as he slid an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. "Yes, and tell Elizabeth not to worry – this is a good sign. I predict that they've decided to acquit, and you and your wife will be able to put this nonsense behind you and focus on your new life together."

"Okay. We're right outside, so we'll see you in a few minutes."

He disconnected the call, and Elizabeth asked apprehensively, "They're back already?"

"Yeah," he said, kissing her temple. "And Diane said to tell you it's a good sign. We should be clear of this shortly and then we can get on with our lives."

She sighed. "Okay. I can't wait."

She still looked nervous, so he said, "Besides, even if Diane is wrong, we'll still be clear of this by tomorrow, one way or another. Spinelli's got it covered."

She smiled. "Jason, that's really sweet, but I'd much prefer not to have to live in a country with no extradition treaty for the rest of our lives. I don't think I speak the language of any of those places."

He grinned, pleased that her mood was lighter, and stood up. "Let's go get some love from the jury, okay?"

She giggled at his phrasing as he pulled her to her feet, and they crossed the street hand-in-hand and headed back into the courthouse, with Cody and Milo keeping the media at bay. "Stop with the jury love thing already, okay?"

"What?" he asked innocently. "I can't help it if they love you." They passed through the metal detector and headed down the hall toward the courtroom before he leaned over and whispered his next comment. "But they better not start asking you out. If they do, _I'll_ wind up on trial next."

"Don't even joke about that, Jason," she whispered back. But her giggle undermined the severity of her words.

He kissed her, then held the door to the courtroom open for her. "You know what? I'm really gonna enjoy the look on Ric's face when the jury says 'not guilty.'"

"Yeah," said Elizabeth. "I hate to say it, but so will I. He deserves it after all this. I wonder if the judge will really try to have him disbarred."

"Who cares?" Jason asked, and she turned to look at him as she rejoined Diane at the defense table. He met her eyes and said quietly, "As long as you're a free woman, he's irrelevant." She gave him the smile that she seemed to have reserved just for him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Ric, who was already sitting at the prosecution table, glancing over at them. He gave them that smug smile that always sparked Jason's temper, then stood and sauntered over. Jason worked to keep his temper in check as Ric said, "Elizabeth, this is your last chance to make a deal. Once the jury convicts you, it will be out of my hands."

Diane apparently recognized how close Jason was to wringing the little creep's neck. She stood, blocking Elizabeth from Ric's view, and snapped, "It's _already_ out of your hands, Mr. Lansing. The jury saw right through your smarmy attempts at charm, and they're smart enough to know that the evidence doesn't support the charge." She glared at him and added, "And when they acquit, I will take the first opportunity I get to remind the judge what she said about getting you disbarred."

Ric just smiled and said, "I'm not worried." He leaned to peer around Diane and said, "Elizabeth, just remember that I warned you."

He turned to head back to his seat, but Elizabeth forestalled him. "You know, Ric," she said, "I used to think that underneath it all, you were a good guy. I see now that I gave you too much credit." Jason marveled at the way she kept her cool. "And I want you to know that after I leave here today, I won't give you another thought. I'll be too busy with my husband and my children to care what happens to you." Jason smiled inwardly, proud of the way she was handling herself.

Whatever Ric might have said, they would never know, because just then, the bailiff called, "All rise. Port Charles Superior Court is now in session, the Honorable Ruth Johnson presiding."

The next several minutes were a blur for Jason. The jury filed in, and he absently noticed that a few of them were glancing in Elizabeth's direction, trying to catch her eye. Then the judge spent a few minutes expounding on the importance of jury service to the American system of justice and thanking the jurors for their time and attention. Jason wished she would hurry up – he could see Elizabeth's tension and he wanted her to be able to finally relax. Eventually, Judge Johnson wound down the speech, asking the jury foreman, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The foreman, a middle-aged black man, said formally, "Yes, we have, Your Honor." He handed a slip of paper to the bailiff, who in turn brought it to the judge. She looked at it, nodded once, and handed it back to the bailiff, who returned it to the foreman.

Judge Johnson said, "Would the defendant please rise?" She waited until Elizabeth and Diane were standing. Elizabeth turned to face the jury. Jason saw one of the women smiled at her reassuringly, so he knew what they would say even before the judge said with gravitas, "In the matter of the People of the State of New York versus Elizabeth Webber Morgan, on the sole count of the indictment, what say you?"

"We find the defendant not guilty." Ric threw his pen down on the table in frustration, but one glare from the judge kept him otherwise silent. Jason was proud of Elizabeth – she didn't sag or burst into tears with relief, as he had half expected she would. No, her only reaction was to let out the breath she was holding, and then she turned to him and smiled. For the first time since her arrest, the smile wasn't shadowed with nerves – it was radiant. He couldn't contain his answering smile, and he waited impatiently as the judge finished with the formalities.

"So say you all?"

"Yes, Your Honor, we do."

"The jury is discharged with the gratitude of this court for your service." She waited while the jury filed out of the room, then turned to look at Elizabeth. "Mrs. Morgan, you are free to go." And then, surprisingly, she dropped her formal demeanor. She glanced at the court reporter. "Off the record, please." The court reporter nodded and stopped typing, and the judge returned her gaze to Elizabeth. "Please accept my personal apology, Mrs. Morgan – I don't think this case should ever have gotten this far. It became clear to me when it was too late that your ex-husband was using the court system to harass and intimidate you, and I apologize for not preventing that." She said, "Back on the record," and turned to Ric. "Mr. Lansing, you can expect to hear from the Disciplinary Committee by the end of the week. Whatever problems you have with your ex-wife or her husband, the court system is not your personal weapon to make their lives miserable, and your office does not give you the authority to seek vengeance here for any perceived slight." She turned to Diane. "Ms. Miller, do you wish to make a motion for a restraining order against Mr. Lansing on behalf of your client?"

Diane looked surprised, but quickly recovered and said, "Yes, Your Honor, we do. We request that Mr. Lansing be ordered not to go within 100 feet of Mr. or Mrs. Morgan or their family, friends, or employees, that he initiate no direct or indirect communication with them, and that he be precluded from acting as the prosecutor or being involved in any way in any future case against either of them."

"Your Honor, that's outrageous!" Ric protested. "How am I supposed to know who their family, friends, or employees are? And what if I witness one of them committing a crime? Am I not allowed to testify?"

"Mr. Lansing, that's enough," said Judge Johnson. "Your abuse of power makes this court unwilling to trust your judgment when Mr. or Mrs. Morgan is involved, even peripherally. Therefore, I'm going to grant Ms. Miller's motion, with the understanding that she will provide you with a list of family, friends, and employees by the end of the week. The list may be edited as necessary in the future, with such revisions to be provided in a reasonable time to Mr. Lansing. As for what happens if you witness a crime by someone covered by this restraining order – in that case, you will seek explicit permission from this court before you do anything with that information." Ric started to protest, but the judge was having none of it. She banged her gavel and glared at him until he fell silent. "You created this situation, Mr. Lansing. You can live with it. Now, Ms. Miller, would you please draft the order?"

"Certainly, Your Honor. I'll have it to you by the close of business tomorrow."

"Thank you. If that's all, this court is adjourned." She banged her gavel again, and it was over.

Elizabeth launched herself at Jason, and he caught her in his arms, holding her close and savoring the knowledge that Ric's campaign of harassment was, in effect, over. And he was especially pleased that he hadn't had to do anything illegal to make that happen. The jury's verdict had been legitimate, and the judge's offer of a restraining order had been spontaneous on her part. It seemed that Ric had finally stepped far enough out of bounds that the law was willing to recognize and put a stop to it.

After a moment, Elizabeth looked up at him, eyes shining. "Let's go celebrate, Jason. We're free!"

He grinned at her. "Sure thing. What did you have in mind?"

She stretched up to kiss him. "Let's go home." She wiggled her eyebrows at him, and he laughed as she continued, "I'm sure we'll think of something."


	9. Part 9

_A/N: It's been a fun ride, hasn't it? Thanks for all your great feedback and encouragement along the way. Hope you enjoy this last part ..._

**Part 9**

Jason's phone rang as he pushed open the door to the home he shared with his family. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and, seeing who it was, took the call.

"Diane? What's up?" She started to speak, but he couldn't make out what she said, because at that moment, two missiles – otherwise known as his sons – launched themselves at him.

Jake came first, and Jason caught him and lifted him with his free hand. "Daddy!" Jake yelled in excitement. "You're home!" He started to tell Jason something about Cody's motorcycle, which Jason had noticed in the driveway, just as Jason realized that Cameron was airborne as well.

He dropped the phone and caught Cameron, who was chattering excitedly about his class trip to the aquarium. Then, settling a child on each hip, he said, "Hold on tight, guys, we dropped the phone."

They shrieked with laughter as he squatted to pick up the phone. He heard Diane calling, "Jason? Jason, did you hear any of that?" As he stood back up, he thrilled the boys with his exaggerated groan, and realized that soon, they would be too big for him to lift both of them at the same time. He thought about the chaos his life had become in the two years since he had married Elizabeth, and marveled at the fact that he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Sighing, he realized that with his two little monkeys quite literally climbing all over him, he would have to turn on the speaker phone if he wanted to attempt to figure out what Diane was trying to tell him. He said, "Diane, sorry, the boys attacked me just as you started talking. Hang on a minute." He turned to Cameron, who was still excitedly telling him and a captivated Jake about the sharks he had seen at the aquarium. When Cameron paused for breath, he asked, "Where's Mommy? Or Andy?"

Jake made a face. "Mommy's changin' Audrey's diaper. Audrey's no fun, Daddy. She doesn't do _anything_. Can't we give her back?"

Cameron chimed in. "Yeah, Daddy, she doesn't do _anything_. Just cry and _poop._" Jake erupted in laughter, apparently finding that hilarious.

"No, we can't give her back," Jason replied patiently, jostling both of them and making them giggle again. "You weren't much fun when you were six months old, either, and we didn't give _you_ back, did we?"

"I guess not," grumbled Jake. "But I sure hope she gets to be more fun soon."

"Yeah, me, too," added Cameron.

"Jason?" Diane's voice interrupted. "Are you sure you don't want to call me back? It's costing you a lot of money to talk to your sons at the moment. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. This conversation, or lack thereof, has already probably earned me an adorable little Coach bag I've had my eye on."

"Just a second, Diane. Guys, where's Andy?"

"Did I hear my name?" Andy sounded breathless, and she looked flushed, which Jason wouldn't have thought anything of except that Cody walked in right behind her looking inordinately pleased with himself. Jason made a mental note to ask Elizabeth about that later. "Sorry they got away from me," she continued. "They heard your bike and there was no stopping them." Jake started squirming, so Jason kissed his forehead and put him down.

"Hey, Jason," Cody said. "I, um, stopped by to talk to you about something. It's kind of important."

"Okay, give me a few minutes. I've got Diane on the phone and I haven't even had a chance to take my jacket off."

"Sure thing, boss." Cody headed toward the porch, saying, "I'll wait outside." Andy started trying to persuade Jake to go back upstairs with her, but he wasn't interested in leaving if his big brother and his Uncle Cody, not to mention his father, were staying.

Diane said, "Jason, are you sure you wouldn't rather just call me back when things settle down?"

"Things _don't_ settle down, Diane," Jason replied, almost cheerfully. "This is about as good as it gets."

Elizabeth walked in carrying Audrey, who launched herself at Jason as Elizabeth came near. He caught her with the arm Jake had just vacated, dropping the phone again in the process. Elizabeth stretched up and and gave him a lingering kiss, to a chorus of "ewwwww!" and "gross!!" from the boys. As she stepped away, she gave him a cryptic smile. He absently wondered what that was about before returning his attention to Cameron, who was now squirming to get down, and Audrey, who was pulling on his ear. He gave Cameron another squeeze and set him on his feet. Cameron yelled, "C'mon, Jake, let's go play shark!" He raced out of the room, his brother hot on his heels.

Elizabeth retrieved the phone and, instead of handing it back to him, she turned off the speaker and said, "Diane, it's Elizabeth. Is this business or do you want me to give Jason a message?"

Jason nuzzled Audrey's neck, making her giggle, then handed her to Andy when she said, "Maybe you should go talk to Cody now."

"Yeah, okay."

He started toward the door as Andy headed in the direction the boys had gone. He paused when he realized Elizabeth was wrapping up her conversation with Diane. She said, "Okay, Diane, thanks … yeah, it really is a relief …okay, I'll tell him the good news and we'll call you if we have any questions … okay, thanks again for all your help … okay, bye."

She disconnected, turning to smile at him, and he savored the sudden quiet now that it was just him and Elizabeth. He pulled her close for another kiss. "What was that about?" He kept his arms loosely around her waist, enjoying the physical contact as much as he always did.

"It's official. Ric pleaded guilty on this latest stalking charge and the violation of the restraining order, and Diane says Alexis pushed for jail time. He'll do at least six months, and then he'll probably have to get treatment as a condition of probation."

"Oh." Jason digested that and said, "Good." Unsure when he would have another opportunity, he changed the topic. "What was that look about when you walked in?"

She smiled radiantly, but said only, "I'll tell you later, when we're alone."

He gave an exaggerated look around the room. "We're alone now, if I'm not mistaken. You should probably tell me now, before chaos erupts again."

Her smile widened, then she gave him a lingering kiss. When she pulled back, she said, "I hope you like chaos, Jason, because in about seven months, we're gonna have even more of it."

Just as he processed her meaning and started to smile, Jake came tearing back into the room. "Daddy! Mommy! Guess what? Andy's gettin' married, an' I'm gonna carry the rings."

Cameron flew in, yelling, "Nuh-uh! _I'm_ carryin' the rings! And anyway, it was s'posed to be a secret, dummy!"

Andy once again followed them into the room. "I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" she sighed. She walked over to the door, opened it and said, "Cody, you might as well come in – the boys just announced our engagement." She turned around and as Cody stepped up behind her, she said, "I should've known better than to explain what the ring meant." She held up her hand and showed Elizabeth, who shrieked with delight and ran to hug her.

"Oh, that's so great! I'm so happy for both of you!" She kissed first Andy's cheek, then Cody's. "And I hope you'll be just as happy as Jason and I are." She glanced over her shoulder at Jason and winked. "Just do me a favor and wait till after the baby's born. I don't want to look fat in all the pictures."

"Baby?" Andy exclaimed. "You're pregnant? Eeeeeeee!" Her shriek caused all the males in the room to wince. "Ohmigod, when are you due?"

Throwing one last glance over her shoulder, Elizabeth took Andy's arm and led her into the living room. "Seven months. So you can get married anytime after, say, mid-February." Their voices faded away, and Jason and Cody stared after them for a long moment, then shared a very male look that said, _Women!_

Cody spoke first. "That was what I wanted to talk to you about. I hope you aren't offended that I didn't tell you myself."

"Don't worry about it. Secrets never last very well in the chaos of this family," Jason replied ruefully. "I'm surprised I didn't know you were seeing each other, but really, the only way you could have made sure I heard it from you would be to tell me before you actually asked her, which probably wouldn't have gone over very well with _her._" He walked over to the refrigerator and silently offered Cody a beer.

Cody nodded and chuckled softly, "No, I'm guessing it wouldn't." They fell silent for a moment, opening their beers and sipping them. Then Cody asked cautiously, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever worry that your family might get hurt? Because of the business, I mean?"

"I used to worry about that all the time." He sighed. "And I'm still aware that it's a possibility. But the thing is, I was lucky enough to fall for a woman who refused to be ruled by her fear, or to let me be ruled by mine. So, I do what I can to keep the people I love as safe as I can, and I make sure they know what they mean to me, and I hope that it's enough. Because, frankly, the alternative is to live without them, and that's no alternative at all."

Cody said, "So you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Are you asking for my opinion?" At Cody's nod, he said, "It's your life and ultimately your decision – _you_ have to live with it either way. But I'll tell you this. I tried to stay away from Elizabeth for years, and it never worked. Eventually, she took matters into her own hands, and arranged it so that I pretty much had to jump in with both feet. And I don't regret it, and I'd like to think that even if the unthinkable _did _happen, I still wouldn't regret it, because it was her choice to take the chance, not just mine. Living in the world of 'what if' isn't living at all. I missed the first two years of my son's life, and all that accomplished was to leave _him_ vulnerable and to make _me_ lose time with my family that I'll never get back."

Cody thought about that silently for a while, sipping his beer. Finally, he said, "Andy threatened to dump me if I wasn't ever gonna marry her. I couldn't stand the thought that she might really do it, but the thought of something happening to her …" His voice trailed off.

After a moment, Jason chuckled softly and said, "Well, look at it this way … at least she didn't write a book about it." They both laughed, then went back to sipping their beer in silence.

XXXXXXXXX

Hours later, Elizabeth lay half across Jason in their bed. She yawned sleepily, feeling exhausted but happy as she listened to his steady heartbeat and even breathing. He always seemed so peaceful when he slept.

She thought back over the past two years – the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, and all the little moments that made her life exactly what she wanted it to be. Suddenly, she had an urge that she hadn't had in more than two years.

Unable to resist, she quietly slipped out of bed and headed downstairs to the study. Booting up the computer and opening the word processing program, she stared at the blank page for a long moment, considering what to call it, before she centered the cursor and began to type.

Hours later, she pulled the first chapter off the printer and re-read the title page with satisfaction: "Safe Places and Joyful Hearts: A Memoir of Life and Love by Elizabeth Webber Morgan."

She smiled to herself and headed back to bed.


End file.
